Winnipegger part of International Women's Day all-female NHL broadcast crew
A Winnipeg female hockey legend will be part of a historic NHL broadcast next month.
The Chicago Blackhawks play the St. Louis Blues on Mar. 8 — International Women's Day. That game will be televised on NBC by the the first all-female crew.
Among them will be Jennifer Botterill, who grew up in Winnipeg and won four Olympic medals with Team Canada.
"I'm really looking forward to it ... I think all of us want to set an example. Not all females have to get into broadcasting in sports, but it's nice that's it's now becoming a choice," Botterill told CBC's Information Radio host Marcy Markusa.
Sports broadcasting in general is has been male-dominated for most of its history, but more and more women are being seen on television sets.
The increase in female broadcasters will hopefully show the next generation that a career path in sports is possible, said Botterill, who provides in-game analysis for New York Islanders games.
The former Olympian also hopes that the Mar. 8 broadcast will eventually lead to making all-female broadcasts a normal thing in the future.
"I think this NBC game is to showcase that ... people are talented in all the different roles," she said. "It's not that you have to do this, but that you have all of these different positions and careers available."
"For the on-air talent, that we know the game and we understand the game and provide valuable insight. For the production side of things, that females have all of the qualifications to provide some of the best quality product."
The exact plan for the broadcast on Mar. 8 is not clear yet, Botterill said, but added that her mom is excited.
Botterill played for the Canadian women's hockey team from 1997-2011, capturing three Olympic gold medals and a silver in those tournaments. She also won five world championships with the squad, and was named tournament MVP twice.
Botterill played hockey at Harvard University in Boston, Mass. There, she became the only player to be twice named the best in women's college hockey — Botterill still holds the NCAA records for career points and most consecutive games with a point.
